The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress in M.P. virtually defunct, says party leader

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 28, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Congress in M.P. virtually defunct, says party leader

Staff Correspondent

We will do something to revive it: Jamuna Devi

Jamuna Devi ... . sees a dying party.

NEW DELHI: The Leader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh, Jamuna Devi, said here on Tuesday that her Congress party's State unit was virtually defunct but efforts would be initiated soon to revive it.

Talking to reporters after meeting the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, she admitted that no work was being done in the party and no one raised issues related to the people while there were many that could be taken up against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "We will do something about it soon and revive the party,'' she said.

Ms. Jamuna Devi, who was Deputy Chief Minister during Digvijay Singh's tenure as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, said BJP's infighting had virtually stopped all development work in the State. "There is an acute crisis of electricity and water but no one seems bothered," she added.

She sought Ms Gandhi's intervention in granting `pattas' (land ownership rights) to the tribal people. "The tribal people are being evacuated from the forests in the name of Project Tiger, reserve forests and development projects. Either they are not rehabilitated at all or else the land given to them is not suitable,'' she pointed out while suggesting that tribal people and animals could co-exist in harmony.

To a question why even the Congress had not resolved the issue when it was in power for 10 years, Ms. Jamuna Devi said the move to grant land rights was stalled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre. "But I do agree that no political party whether Congress or BJP has done much for the tribal people. Now, Ms Gandhi is our only hope.''

Another issue raised by Ms. Jamuna Devi was alleged violation of the Panchayati Raj system by the State Government that had "curbed'' the powers of the panchayats to approve or undertake developmental works even worth Rs. 5 lakhs. "This is an `insult' to the elected bodies which have now been rendered as mere monitoring bodies,'' she said.

Ms. Jamuna Devi also demanded an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into an alleged Rs 33-crore scam relating to distribution of Old Age Pension for Below Poverty Line (BPL) people.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi